


Sugar

by pissandeggs



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-07-28 20:49:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20070367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pissandeggs/pseuds/pissandeggs
Summary: Lup can't afford college and it's sad. Barry wants to make her happy. Also, everyone else is there too.(and they do have sex eventually)





	1. Spice Cookies

Summer after freshman year had gone by much quicker than the twins expected. With their full time at the bakery, they hadn't felt like they'd had much of a vacation at all. It was early July and their small stuffy apartment had gotten swelteringly hot especially with Taako cooking lunch for them both while Lup lay on the bed looking through classes for the next semester "Done picking your nerd classes yet, Lulu?" Taako called from the kitchen area "I have to use the computer too ya know." Lup's silence was unexpected and so he called again "LULU. YOU FINISHED?"  
"Um...no...not yet..."

  
"Is something wrong?"

  
"...I don't know."

  
Taako abandoned the food and opened the door to their bedroom. Lup looked like she was about to start crying as she read over the same line of text on the screen "What's going on?" Taako asked seriously, sitting down next to her. He looked at the computer and felt the same wave of shock and fear that Lup no doubt was feeling. Tuition had been raised. Again.  
"Fuck!! What the fuck!" Taako yelled, getting up and throwing his hands into the air in frustration "How much did they raise it?"

  
"It's near doubled, Koko. We um...we can't afford this." Lup spoke softly her voice quivering. Taako couldn't even remember the last time he'd heard her like this. He dropped his arms and rushed back to her "We could take out a loan..?"

  
"Not again," Lup choked back a small sob "I'm not fucking going through that again."

  
"Then neither of us go," Taako said. He tried to sound confident but his voice had also started to shake.

  
"No, Taako, you're going to go."

  
"What? Absolutely the fuck not you're the smart one!"

  
"You have a plan!" Lup snapped "I don't even know if I want chemistry to be my major! You...you at least know what you want. You should go." At this point, tears had started to run down her cheeks. Taako threw his arms around her, squeezing her tight.

  
"That's not fair," he whimpered "You have to go too..."

  
"I can't, Taako. You have to go. You're already closer to your degree..." she trailed off and started sobbing "I just fucking waste our money by failing classes!"

  
"That wasn't your fault, John's a fucking asshole!" Taako yelled and then softened his voice "It wasn't your fault."

  
"Bluejeans fucking passed," She grumbled

  
"Well," Taako sighed "He could afford the textbook. And John's a dick!! He was the only one of your professors who didn't cut you any slack about that. Also, he was totally into vore, his opinion of you is irrelevant."

  
Lup laughed despite herself "Yeah he definitely is...um...I'm not going. I..don't want to."

  
"You're lying."

  
"...yeah."

  
"...you want me to go that bad?"

  
"...yeah."

  
"...God damn it, Lup," Taako sighed "...fine. But I'm not taking fewer hours at the bakery."

  
"Okay," Lup mumbled picking up their junky laptop and giving it to him "Register for your classes I'll...go finish up lunch. Let me know if you need help."

It was mid-October now and Lup was in the back of Paloma's bakery mixing filling for a pumpkin pie. The bakery closed in about an hour and Taako got home in three she wouldn't have to be alone in the bakery much longer. As much as she liked baking doing it from 7-5 was a fucking chore and she was ready to go up to her room and cry herself asleep for what felt like the third time this week. Paloma had gone out to perform a seance for someone's dead cat and wouldn't be back for a few hours so Lup toyed with the idea of clocking out early and just going the fuck to sleep until she heard the bell at the front door chime "God fucking damn it," she grumbled under her breath wondering what garbage person was coming in an hour before they closed on a WEDNESDAY to buy a fucking cake.

  
She begrudgingly left her station at the stand mixer and made her way to the front of the shop, wiping her hands on her apron before appearing behind the counter "Hello," she began "If you're looking for Paloma I'm sorry to say she's out right now-"

  
"Lup?"

  
She looked up from her apron and froze.

  
"...Bluejeans. This is...a surprise," She said quietly "Do you need...a cake or something..?"

  
"No, no I thought I saw you when I was driving by yesterday so I came to see how you were," Barry J Bluejeans fidgeted with his glasses before shoving his hands in his pockets awkwardly. He was about 5'7 with shaggy brown hair and large, thick, square glasses. He was a little chubby and despite only being 20 he already had a bit of a receding hairline. Essentially he was the definition of a nerd. If you looked up nerd in the dictionary it would be a nice glossy jpg of Barry Bluejeans.

  
"So you're stalking me?" Lup said flatly, staring him down. As much as they'd hit it off in their classes last year she resented him a lot for being able to maintain a grade A average and still not be satisfied while Lup fucking failed.

  
"No! I'm not stalking you, I just saw someone who looked like you, and I-" Barry stumbled over his words while realizing yeah that was an incredibly weird thing to do. He tried to justify it in his mind before Lup interrupted him.

  
"That sounds like stalking," Lup crossed her arms over her chest "You saw me through the window of your car and decided you were going to hunt me down?"  
"No! Okay, admittedly this sounds super fucking weird to say out loud-"

  
"It's really creepy."

  
"Yeah a bit, I'm sorry, I just urgh," Barry had started sweating, not wanting to admit he had a deep crush on Lup after only knowing her for 8 months "I was worried? I know that's stupid because its a big school and you probably have other classes or maybe just changed your major but since we had 4 classes together I figured maybe we'd have some more and not seeing you there made me, like, worried? That something bad had happened? I know I don't know you well but I just wanted to check in if it was really you..." He trailed off realizing how fucking terrifying a woman would find being seen through a car window and then tracked down at her work "I'm sorry, I can just-"

  
"Well, I dropped out."

  
"Huh? You did?" Barry looked surprised "But you're one of the smartest people I've ever met and you were always going off about how having more girls in STEM is important and I really looked up to you-"

  
Lup wrapped her arms tighter around herself and looked at the ground. Barry regretted pressing her for more details "Sorry, Lup, that's not my business. I'm just glad to see you're doing well," He gave her an awkward smile while she continued to stare at the floor avoiding looking at him all together. Barry rocked back and forth on his feet and looked around "Sooo...what's uh...good? This time of year?" Lup laughed despite herself "What?" Barry asked also chuckling a bit "Was that dumb? Do people not ask that?"

  
"No," She laughed lifting her eyes back up to meet with his "Nobody has ever asked me that."

  
Barry met her gaze with a warm smile. She had beautiful eyes, brilliantly purple and pink with flecks of deep brown that shone like gold when the light hit her right. He assumed she wasn't wearing makeup (he was never a good judge of when girls were or weren't wearing it) but her skin was still perfectly flawless unless you considered the galaxy of freckles sprinkled over her cheeks and nose a flaw. He wondered if she had freckles on her shoulders too? Or on her chest...

  
He snapped back to reality when Lup broke their eye contact awkwardly.

  
"Um...I mean I made the spice cookies and they're always pretty baller during spooky season." She mumbled, closing her shoulders off from him again. Fuck. He blew it.

  
"Okay uh, I will take a dozen of those then," He said, beaming at her. She didn't return his smile, just nodded and shuffled over to the spice cookies and started putting them in a box "Sooo how long have you been working here?"

  
"Oh man...4 years?" Lup said trying to remember when she had started living with Paloma after their aunt passed away suddenly. No will meant no house for Lup and Taako "No, 5 years now."

  
"Wow, like, since you were 15?? Is that even legal??" Barry asked surprised. Lup grimaced and Barry immediately regretted asking.

  
"Technically no but Paloma's like my mom ya know? She can't let us stay here rent-free so she let us work short hours as kids to make up for it. She would let us use the kitchen but when it seemed like this would be a bit more of a permanent arrangement she asked us to work longer hours and we didn't mind. I mean it's kind of tiring but she pays us more than minimum," Lup explained starting to get lost in her thoughts "...I'm gonna make this a baker's dozen. Don't tell anyone I slipped you a 50 cent cookie for free." she joked, winking at him. God Barry was falling for her more and more every second.

  
"Oh, you don't have to do that, I-"

  
"I made the damn things and we keep the stock here anyways," She said, placing the box of cookies on the counter next to the register "That'll be 6 dollars please."  
Barry fumbled around in his pockets for his change and then handed it to her. Lup fiddled around behind the register and then stretched out her hand "And here's your change."

  
"Change? I gave you exactly 6-"

  
"Don't make me rethink this, Bluejeans."

  
He shut up and held his hand out to receive whatever she was giving him. Lup dropped a small piece of paper into his hand and then handed him the cookies "Thank you for shopping at Paloma's Bakery, have a great day." She said in her syrupy customer service voice. Barry took that as a cue to leave.

  
"Okay uh, maybe I'll see you around?" He called as she slipped into the back.

  
"Maybe," she replied in a teasing sing-song voice.

  
Fuck. Barry had totally blown it.


	2. Blueberry Muffins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup and Barry pine. Taako makes a new friend.

Barry got back in his car feeling like a fucking moron. Lup thought he was a creep and he blew any chance he had at a friendship with her let alone a relationship. He gently put the box of cookies down on the passenger seat floor, not wanting to knock them over and waste them. They did look really good even if it was just an excuse he used to talk to a girl he liked...

He reached into the pocket of his light wash blue jeans to retrieve his keys and felt the little note she gave him. He ran his thumb across the note, trying to psychically read what it said. It probably just said fuck off in all caps or something, he really should have just left her alone. Barry pulled the keys out of his pocket and shoved them into the ignition. He didn't even want to think about it. He just wanted to go home, study, and eat some spice cookies.

Lup closed the bakery as soon as he left. That was emotionally draining as well as a fucking roller coaster "What the fuck was that?" she mumbled softly to herself as she locked up the doors and flipped their sign to closed. After cleaning the kitchen (enough) she trudged up the stairs to her small apartment above the bakery. She really wanted to cry now. Lup stuck her key into the lock and wiggled it around for a bit until it finally turned and opened with a loud obnoxious creak. She'd have to beg Paloma to fix that, Taako always woke her up from her naps when he came home. She stripped off her apron and left it in a pile on the floor before going into their bathroom and stripping off the rest of her clothes as well "Come on, hot water, hot water, hot water...?" Lup gently put her hand under the running tap on their bathtub praying it would warm up "Oh fuck yeah!" She cried when the water began to heat. Okay, this day was turning around! She did not want to waste a spell slot heating up her fucking bathwater. She squeezed some of the cheap body wash they had into the water and climbed in. The bath was entirely too small for her and she was forced to curl her knees up to her chest. 

And then it all hit her at once.

Lup had explained her tragic life story to her dorky ex-classmate. Her smart, cute, dorky ex-classmate. Fuck. Why did she give him her number? Why would she think he'd want to hang out with her? He thought she was smart and now he knew she was just a failure. She let out a quiet, pathetic whimper and sunk down into the bubbles. So stupid. It was hopeless to think they could be friends-  
Lup's phone rang from inside her pants pocket. Her ears perked up and she quickly reached for her pants pulling the phone out. Unknown number. Her heart thudded in her chest as she swiped to answer.

"Hello?"  
"Helloooooo, Lulu??"  
Her heart sank when she heard Taako's voice on the other line  
"Oh. Uh...Hey-hey Koko, what's up?"  
"My phone died so I'm calling from my friend- sorry what was your name?"  
Lup heard a muffled "Magnus" from the other end  
"Magnus's phone! He wants to buy me drinks and was super explicit it isn't a sex thing so I'm gonna go get fucked up!"  
"Taako. It's a Wednesday night. Please just come home."  
Taako was silent for a second registering what she'd said before seriously asking her "Is something wrong, Lup? Are you ok?"  
"No, I had a fucking weird day."  
"Okay, I'm coming home. Magnus! My man! New best friend! Do you have a car?"  
Silence.  
"Great! Well give me your number and we will get together this weekend, but for now, would you be so kind as to drive me home?"  
Another beat of silence.  
"Great! I'll definitely take you up on that drink offer eventually though! Okay, Lulu, I'll be home in 20 minutes. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, alright? Bye!" Taako hung up the phone.  
Lup smiled sadly to herself. At least she had Taako.

Why wouldn't Lup pick up? Barry frowned at his phone. Had she given him a fake number so he'd leave her alone? All his calls when straight to voice mail, they weren't even ringing. He put his phone down and pushed it away from him. He should be studying not worrying about her. She clearly didn't like him and this was false hope. He looked at the box of cookies next to his desk and opened it, pulling out one of the spice cookies and taking a careful bite. Oh wow. She was a really fantastic cook. He could easily eat that whole box right now.

"Something bothering you, Barry?" his roommate asked. Barry let out a deep exasperated sigh.

"Nope, I'm fine, Lucas," Barry said back, trying desperately to make it clear to Lucas he absolutely did not want to talk. He really needed to stop living in the dorms. Another month with Lucas and he would go insane. 

Barry spun around in his office chair to see his roommate, engineering student and general science and tech expert Lucas Miller. Lucas was tall and lanky with a little paunch of belly fat. He had a patchy beard and wore glasses that looked upsettingly similar to Barry's. His side of their dorm was littered with garbage and spare parts and papers "How do you even work in that?" Barry asked, staring down the mess on Lucas's floor like he was scared it would get up and move.

Lucas snorted (because of course Lucas snorted) and replied "Mess doesn't impede my work if anything it enhances it. I have everything I need around me at all times, it serves as inspiration really." He didn't even look up to talk to Barry too busy tinkering away on his latest robotics project. 

"Yeeeeah," Barry said skeptically before turning back to his own chemistry work. He was having a hard time focusing between the Lup stuff, Lucas constantly making noise behind him and the mess "I need to go outside."

Lucas snorted again and turned around in his chair. It was a gaming chair he'd gotten from his mother and Barry suspected he chose the one with the most dramatic turn around reveal "Calling that Lup girl again? I thought you said she dropped out?"

"She did," Barry gritted his teeth as he said it. Lup was 10x smarter than Lucas and if he thought dropping out would change that playing field at all he was a fucking idiot "But I don't really know why, and I'm worried about her."

"She was lazy, she didn't do any homework, she was always late to class. It's no wonder she ended up failing Professor Hunger's class," Lucas retorted, spinning back around to face his work "She's just not cut out for college I guess."

Barry had to remove himself from the room before he said something to Lucas he'd regret "I'm going to take a walk. I can't focus." He left in a huff slamming the door to their room behind him. Why the FUCK didn't he get a dorm change when it was still an option? He dialed her number again and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you saw Lucas in the tags and got excited I'm sorry because it's just me bullying him whenever he comes up. Also, I was too scared to read any comments on the last chapter but I'm going to read them now fghjdksl


	3. Crème Brûlée

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup answers.

Lup turned her phone off and placed it on the floor next to her bath. She soaked in the warm water for a while longer, basking in the luxury of warmth. Barry hadn't called her. It had only been a few hours, she shouldn't get this worked up! She didn't need to depend on him anyways!  
Her phone rang. She snatched it up from the ground and stared at the caller ID. Unknown. Please. She pressed the accept button.  
"Hello?" she was trying to not get her hopes up but God she wanted it to be him so bad.  
"Lup? Hey, it's Barry!" He sounded excited to hear her. Her heart melted.  
"Hi, Bluejeans," She said, smiling like a dork "What took you so long to call?"  
"Oh, I thought you were ignoring my calls,"  
"Hm?" She said, furrowing her brow "No, I didn't get any. I was just on the phone with my brother so I must not have seen it."  
"Oh, that's a relief,"  
"Hm?" Lup hummed again, attempting to stretch out in her bath and absolutely failing.  
"I-I was worried that you were- or that I was bothering you by calling so much or I came off as weird or you gave me a fake number o-or-"  
"Barry!" Lup laughed into the phone "I gave you my number because I wanted you to call me."   
"Yeah," Barry said. She could hear his smile through the phone. Hers grew wider in response "Um sorry if I did come off as weird though. I was, like, really worried you'd think I was stalking you."  
"Oh I did, but I don't think you're competent enough to be a threat,"  
Barry laughed "I'm not stalking you!"  
"I know, I'm just teasing you!" She giggled "Uh...listen. I was kind of- no, I was very standoffish earlier. I'm not used to people, like, worrying about me, I guess." She admitted. Her heart rate was rising again. She couldn't believe she was being this honest with someone who was practically a stranger.  
"Nah, I was prying I was out of line." He assured her. She relaxed her shoulders. God, he was sweet.  
"Uh...hey. You have my number now. We've talked in person outside of class, so wow it's like college friendship third base," Lup said and Barry laughed loudly into the speaker in response "Let's hang out this weekend. Are you 21?"  
"Yeah, I can drink."  
"Okay great. Well, there's a shitty bar downtown that won't card me or Taako so let's all hang out on...Saturday? I think I have that day off."  
"Taako? Who is-"  
"Oh fuck, you didn't know I had a twin? Oh man, I should have told you that way earlier than now." She blurted out stupidly "He looks exactly like me so you've probably seen him before and thought he was me."  
"Oh, wow, yeah didn't know that," Barry said sounding distant and lost in thought "Uh, do you want me to bring friends too? Like if your brother's coming?"  
Lup frowned a little. This was a lot. That's a lot of new people all at once "Sure," as long as it's not Lucas "Taako met some guy who wanted to get drinks with him anyway so I'm sure he'll want to come."   
"Okay. T-to clarify-" he paused for a second "I'm not bringing Lucas."  
"Oh thank FUCK," Lup gave an overdramatic sigh of relief "Anyone but Lucas fuckin' Miller he's suuuuuch a buzzkill."  
Barry chuckled "What time should I pick you up?"  
"Hm...8?"  
"Sounds like a plan," There was an awkward silence before Barry spoke again "I should really finish up tonight's reading,"  
"Yeah," Lup said, her voice only hinting at her disappointment "I should cook dinner."  
"Okay," Another long awkward silence before Barry spoke, "I'll uh, talk to you later."  
"Yeah. Well, nice talking to you properly, Bluejeans."  
"You too, Lup. I'll see you on Saturday."  
"Mhm. Bye, Barry."  
"Y-yeah, uh, bye."  
Lup put her phone down and sunk her head entirely underwater. What was she doing? Her and Taako were fine on their own. She didn't need anyone else. She didn't need the stress of trusting someone else. What was it about Barry that made her spill her guts to him? She couldn't fucking stop talking around him. She lifted her head from the water and stared up at the cracked ceiling.  
She had a date with Barry Bluejeans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading 2 chapters today but also uh don't underage drink lol I forgot in second year in the states none of these kids should be able to drink because I live in Canada where the drinking age is 19 soO OOPS DON'T UNDERAGE DRINK.
> 
> Also, this chapter is super short because the next one is SOOOOO LONG so don't be too disappointed.


	4. Rum Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang gets drunk. Lup gets defensive. Barry just wants to help.

Barry sat in his car outside, nervously drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Lucretia waved her hands in front of his face making him snap out of his thoughts "Are you okay, Barry?" she asked in her soft melodic voice "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, Cretia." He assured her. Lucretia huffed.

"I know this isn't really your idea of a good time, and it's not really mine either..." she trailed off glancing at the door to the bakery anxiously "But...but if you want to get to know Lup better it's probably best to do it face to face somewhere, ya know, other than her work?"

Barry let out a quiet short laugh and nodded "Yeah I-I'm sure she'd appreciate that," he forced a smile which only made Lucretia's frown deepen.

"Barry we both need to get out more," she looked at him seriously trying to make eye contact while he stared straight ahead "I don't like this either but meeting new people will be good. It's...it's a step at the very least." The lights of bakery flicked on and then off again as the twins exited the building. Barry quickly got out of the car to greet them.  
"Hey, Bluejeans!" Lup called, waving to him. She tried to seem composed "Right on time."  
"Hi! Hey! Uh, yeah I uh tried to get here earlier but I had to pick up-" he spun around the gesture to Lucretia. Lucretia waved at them awkwardly from inside the car "I had to pick up Lucretia from her apartment and I forgot I should go get her first since she lives in the opposite direction-"  
"It's fine," Lup put a hand on his back to calm him "You're still on time."  
Barry chuckled, feeling sweat start to build on his brow "Yeah, uh," he quickly turned towards Taako "So you're her twin, Taako, right?"  
"What tipped you off?" Taako said, narrowing his gaze. Lup laughed and gave Taako a little shove.  
"Leave him alone, Koko, he's doing his best," she giggled before opening up the car door and slipping inside. Taako glared at Barry coldly before getting into the car. Yikes.  
"Hi," Lucretia said, trying to keep her voice steady "You're Lup right or are you..?" she looked between the two of them, her calm demeanor melting away.  
"I'm Lup," Lup clarified sticking her hand out for Lucretia to shake. Lucretia did so, flushing with embarrassment "This is my twin brother, Taako."  
"Oh! Barry didn't tell me you had a twin, I'm sorry," Lucretia replied pulling her hand back quickly once Lup let go "It's um nice to meet both of you."  
"Likewise," Taako said, still too preoccupied staring Barry down through the window to really be paying attention. Barry got in the car on the driver's side.  
"So," he said turning to look at Lup "What's the address?"

There wasn't much talking on the ride to Garfield's, an incredibly seedy dive bar which yup didn't card any of them. It was run by a short little man (human? cat? who's to say!) and was definitely kind of gross. Magnus or someone Lup assumed was Magnus greeted Taako with an absolutely massive bear hug when he walked in the door "Taako!! I'm so glad you showed," he yelled clapping Taako on the back roughly, nearly winding the poor boy "Dude, let me buy you and your friends a round."  
"Fuck yeah my man, let's get this thing rolling," Taako wheezed, still recovering from the attack he'd just been dealt. They all shuffled towards a booth in the back of the bar and crammed in together. Fitting 5 people at a booth made for 4 would normally not be a problem but Magnus was a fucking beefcake. He was just enormous. He sat next to Taako and Lup nearly crushing the both of them when he slid into the booth with a round of beers for everyone and put them down on the table. Magnus turned to Taako and started excitedly talking his ear off.  
The remaining 3 were quiet for a long time before Lucretia attempted to break the silence between them "So um, Lup, what's your major?" Taako turned from Magnus to look at Lup. Barry turned to her as well. Jesus fuck why did they all think they had to stare at her?  
Lup looked down at the table "Um...I'm not in school right now, actually. I'm...taking a gap year. Or two."  
"Oh," Lucretia said noticing Barry and Taakos worried looks at her, hinting for her to drop the subject "Well, there's no shame in that." she put her hand over Lup's in an attempt to comfort her and gave her a warm smile. Lup quickly withdrew her hand from the table.  
"Yeah. I guess," Lup said quietly.   
Taako stepped in before this situation got any worse "What's your major, uh, Lucretia was it?"  
"Oh! Yes, um I'm an English major with an art minor," She replied quickly. Her face heated again, she felt like an idiot for embarrassing Lup like she had "Fine art."  
Taako whistled "That's a lot of classes, my guy, how long are you going to be in school for?"  
"Oh this is my 4th year," Lucretia replied casually. Now it was her turn to have everyone stare at her. She shrunk down in her seat "I-I've been in university since I was 16. I uh, only have another year and a half before I graduate. Then grad school and-" she shook her head and laughed awkwardly "I don't know why I do it to myself."   
Taako blinked at her "What the fuck."  
"Yeah!" Lucretia agreed with a forced laugh "Yeah it's a bit what the fuck on my end too."  
"I couldn't stand going to that much school," Magnus said leaning back against the booth with his arms behind his head. Everyone at the table guessed it was to show off how fucking ripped he was "I'm only going because I got a scholarship from football. But I dunno I might just drop out."  
Lup chugged her beer quickly and slammed the glass on the table "I'm going to get a shot." She said loudly, moving out of the corner past Taako and Mags. She stomped towards the bar and Barry excused himself to go follow her.  
"Lup, I'm sorry I should have asked Lucretia to not bring up school-" he said quickly before she cut him off.  
"Could I have a shot of Fireball please," Lup asked the bartender who she assumed was Garfield.  
"Lup, please," Barry said softly, reaching up to put a hand on her back but she swatted him away.  
"Don't, Barry," She didn't look at him as she said it "Just fucking drop it, okay? Jesus. I came out to have fun not think about how fucking poor I am."  
Garfield put her shot on the counter and she shot it back immediately "Let's just have fun okay? Please?" Lup looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him. Barry frowned. He couldn't resist that look.  
"I'm sorry," He said quieter this time.  
"...I know. It's okay." She sighed turning back towards the bar "It's not anyone's fault, she couldn't have known. I just hoped this wouldn't happen like this..."  
"Yeah..." Barry looked down at the floor, leaning against the bar "Uh, are you..hungry? Do you want to split a plate of nachos?"  
Lup smiled a little. God he really wanted to help "Yeah, that sounds nice," she replied breaking her eye contact with the wood grain pattern on the bar "Do you want to split the bill or..?"  
"No, I'll pay for it, don't worry about it. Go sit down," Barry smiled at her and gestured back to their booth.  
She returned to her spot next to Taako wordlessly "Lulu? You okay?" Taako asked her, looking her in the eyes to try and read her emotion.  
"I'm fine, Taako, promise," She assured him. He, of course, didn't believe her but settled back into his conversation with Lucretia. Magnus had slipped out of the booth to play fantasy pinball at the other side of the bar. Lup crossed her arms over herself and looked around the bar absentmindedly. There was almost no one else in here which was a bit surprising, just another small group of people their age and an older man sitting at the bar talking with Garfield while he prepared their nachos. And, of course, there was Barry. She let her gaze stay on him. He had worn a pair of blue jeans which was extremely typical of Barry. She let out a small laugh when she noticed. He turned around to walk back over with the nachos and she quickly turned away.  
Barry put the nachos on the table between him and Lup "This looks uh-"  
"Oh the food here is disgusting," Lup clarified "I just don't care right now, I'm so hungry"  
"Same," Taako said grabbing a few nachos "We didn't eat today."  
Barry and Lucretia looked at them blankly and then at each other "Do...you usually do that?"  
"Oh yeah, gotta skip meals to save money," Lup nodded "It's whatever, better than living on the street."  
Barry and Lucretia were quiet again. The twins looked at them confused "What's wrong? Have you never had to do that?" Taako asked, crunching down on a chip.  
"N-not to save money," Barry said carefully "Are you guys okay..?"  
"We're not a fucking charity case," Lup growled, "I thought we were dropping it, Bluejeans." They stayed in heavy silence for a long time before Magnus came back.  
"Whoa, who died?" he joked sitting back down next to Lup, squishing her into Taako, "I thought we were having a party not a funeral." He laughed at his own joke. Nobody else did.   
"Magnus, could you move so I can get another shot. I think I just lost my appetite," Lup grumbled, standing up again.  
"Lup-" Barry called after her but she cut him off.  
"No shut the fuck up, Barry! I don't need your help! I'm fucking tired of this I don't know why I thought we could..." Lup shook her head and tried to collect herself "I'm walking home."  
"Lulu, come on they were just-" Taako started but she cut him off by walking towards the door. She didn't have the fucking patience for this tonight.  
As soon as she was out the door Barry got up to run after her "I said I don't need your help!" she shouted at him "I can get home myself!"  
"Lup, it's freezing, please come back. I don't...I don't think of you as a charity case. I don't think you're weak or- or anything like that. I just wanted to be your friend," Barry said running up behind her "I'll take you home if you want and you don't even have to talk to me. I'll leave you alone after this. I'm sorry."  
Lup had stopped walking away. Her shoulders slumped and she could feel tears start to sting her eyes "No...no Barry don't apologize. I'm being an asshole, I'm sorry. I just...I've only had Taako for so long and having someone else care about me is weird, and I don't even know if I can trust you," she covered her mouth to hide her sobs "Taako's been able to meet people and be their friend and I just don't know how he does it. Probably...probably school-" she paused to let out another sob. Barry was at her side now "I'm sorry I'm being so shitty to you. I'm sorry I'm so hot and cold it's just so new to me and I-I-"  
"Lup, it's ok. Let's just agree we're both sorry and I'll drive you home, yeah?" Barry said, putting a hand on her back tentatively. She didn't swat him away this time.   
"Yeah..."  
This car ride too was silent. Lup stared out the passenger side window with her arms wrapped around herself and Barry looked straight ahead. They had the radio off. The only sound in the car was Lup sniffling every once in a while.  
She had texted Taako to stay out and have fun and that she was going home. He'd asked if he should come home but she told him now, Barry was with her and she'd be ok. Barry pulled up to the bakery and stopped "We're here," he said as if she couldn't see they were there.  
"Um, can you...come in with me? I don't want to be alone," Lup admitted, too embarrassed to make eye contact with him.  
"Y-yeah, of course," Barry said shutting the car off and undoing his seat belt. Lup did the same and lead him upstairs to their room.  
"Sorry I ruined tonight," Lup said as they walked up the stairs together. Barry shrugged.  
"Ah we can always hang out some other time," he said waiting for her to unlock the door. Her ears lifted for a moment.  
"What? You actually want to hang out after this?" She turned around to face him, looking at him skeptically.  
"God, of course I do, Lup! I'm not just gonna drop you because we had one weird night," Barry laughed "I don't care. You're cool."  
Lup smiled at him "Yeah. I'm pretty fuckin' cool," she opened the door to her and Taako's small apartment "Well, make yourself at home. I'm going to get changed."  
Barry looked around. It was an almost totally unfurnished apartment. They had 3 rooms in total, the kitchen which connected to the empty living room area, their bedroom and their bathroom. The only place that looked lived in was the kitchen which made a lot of sense considering who's apartment this was. Apart from the kitchen, they had a small beat-up dining room table with two mismatched chairs. They had a bookshelf that wasn't well-stocked, just textbooks, cookbooks, and a couple dozen novels. They had a laptop open on the kitchen table and jackets hung on the back of chairs and that was about it. Barry was willing to bet his dorm room was bigger than this.  
Lup stepped out of her room in a hoodie and sweat pants "Oh, sorry there's not really a couch or anywhere to sit," she gestured to her room "You can come in our room, it's fine."  
Barry blinked at her "A-are you sure?"  
"I'm not asking you to sing me to sleep," she joked "It's fine."  
"Alright," Barry said nervously following her into the room "Do you and Taako share a room?"  
"Yep, we've been sharing a room since we were born. I have trouble sleeping alone now," She plopped down on her bed and patted next to her "Come on, I don't bite."  
Barry sat next to her "Uh, I know this is...maybe not great timing but," he cleared his throat to bide himself more time "Did you...drop out because of the rise in tuition?"  
Lup sighed and looked down at the ground "Yup. We had a lot of money leftover from when uh...from when our aunt died but we have to ration it out. If we use it all on an apartment we won't be able to eat or go to school if we use it all on food we won't be able to have a place to live or go to school if we use it all on school...you get the idea."  
"I'm sorry, Lup," Barry wished there was a way for him to make this all better for her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she leaned into his touch. Barry shifted again so his arm was wrapped around her. Lup put her head on his shoulder.  
"Don't apologize, it's not like it's your fault. Just how it is." She said with a small shrug "I can wish it wasn't all I want but it doesn't change it."  
"...Is...is there a way I can help..?" Barry asked. Lup shook her head. "No. No, it's ok, you don't need to do anything for me."   
"I can pay for food for you?" He offered. It really felt like the least he could do.  
"No, Barry. No, it's ok. You have your own things you need to pay for I'm really not looking for charity." Lup said with another definitive shake of her head.   
"I'm not offering because I feel obligated to, Lup. I'm offering because I want to help. I don't...pity you or look down on you. I like you as, like, a person. I-" He blew out a long breath "I care about you."  
Lup lifted her head from his shoulder "Barry..."  
"I do, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. If you won't accept money then at least let me give you some of my old furniture or buy dinner for you and Taako," He looked into her eyes, trying to project how badly he wanted to help her "I know we met like a year ago but we're friends now. I want you to be okay."  
Lup had started to tear up again "Damn it, Bluejeans, you're making me cry again," she half laughed as she said it. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and she quickly buried her face in his shoulder "I'm sorry I-I've just-"  
"I know. It's ok," He wrapped his arms around her. They stayed quiet for a long time while she cried until her wordless sobs slowed and she could talk again.  
"Thank you," she mumbled wiping her eyes and nose on her sleeve "I know this is kind of dumb but...could you stay here? Until Taako gets home?"  
"It's the least I can do for making you cry twice in one day," He said, slowly letting go of her. He really hadn't wanted to. She was so warm in his arms and her hair smelled so nice...  
She laughed cutting off his daydreaming "Thank you, Barry. I mean it."  
"Go to sleep, you look exhausted." He said and Lup nodded in return. She was absolutely beat.  
"It's a good thing I took tomorrow off," Lup started to get snuggled under the covers and Barry stood up. She looked at him confused "You're not..?"  
"O-oh no I-I'll sleep on the floor I don't want to um-"  
"Oh. Yeah..." Lup cursed herself for assuming he would "Um...goodnight."  
Barry turned out the lights and slumped down on the wooden floor of their apartment "Goodnight, Lup."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY, I MEANT TO UPLOAD THESE A FEW DAYS AGO BUT MY INTERNET WENT OUT BUT HERE'S 2 CHAPTERS ENJOY.
> 
> Also gh I know this isn't super in character for Lup I'm projecting ok dhjsfhka I've rewritten this chapter several times and I don't want to do it again SORRY FOLKS


	5. Hibiscus Lemonade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just a davenchurch chapter because I wanted to.

Taako had come home only a couple hours after Lup had fallen asleep. He thanked Barry for looking after her and then asked him to leave immediately. Barry didn't really blame him for not trusting him, both twins clearly had a lot of baggage. So did he, of course, and so did everyone ever.  
Barry hadn't been able to stop thinking about Lup. She texted him all through Sunday, it made his heart go soft every time she sent a message. He kept thinking about how her hair smelled when she leaned her head on his shoulder and how she looked when she slept. Lup really was perfect.

Barry snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed other students in class getting up to leave. He quickly started to pack his computer into his backpack and put his jacket on.  
"See you Wednesday, Barry," Professor Davenport called after him, flicking his tail in annoyance.  
"Y-yeah bye professor, have a good day!" Barry called as he opened the door to exit the lecture hall, almost bashing right into a dwarf heading into the room "Oh sorry!" he said trying to step around him.  
"Don't worry about it, kid," the dwarven man said calmly, propping the door open and entering the lecture hall.  
Barry watched him go inside. It was 10? That should be Davenport's last class of the day? Besides, that dwarf was like 55 at least, he couldn't still be a student, right? Maybe he was going to talk to him about something..? Whatever, Barry had to run home before Lucas did so he could stop him from eating the rest of Lup's cookies.

"Hellooooo~ professor," Merle called to his husband as he walked down "How was babysitting today?"  
"Exhausting," Davenport said with a heavy sigh "The first midterm exam is in 3 weeks and I'm getting 30 emails a day from kids who keep skipping the lectures."  
"Yeeeesh," Merle replied, "Well I brought you a little something to cheer you up."  
Dav looked up from his laptop and his ears perked up "Aw, Merle you didn't have to do that."  
His husband held a bouquet of hibiscus out to him "A bunch of 'em bloomed this morning. They don't last very long so I picked most of them for you."  
Davenport smiled and zipped his bag up, stepping down from the podium. He gently took the bouquet from him "Thank you, Merle," he said giving him a kiss on the cheek. Merle turned and gave him a little peck on the lips.  
"Let's head home, bluebell," Merle said with a smile, wrapping his arm around Davenport's shoulders "I'll run you a bath and we can share a bottle of wine."  
"Mm...that sounds nice," Dav said, a small smile appearing on his face. They walked out of the building together and began their short walk home.  
They didn't live too far from campus, luckily, and they arrived back home after a short 20-minute walk. Davenport slumped down on the couch after putting the bouquet in water "Do we have the kids this weekend?" he asked Merle who was pouring him a glass of wine in the kitchen.  
"Yep, we get to take them out for Halloween," Merle stepped out of the kitchen with a large glass for both of them. He sat on the couch next to his husband "Should we pick out costumes?"  
Davenport laughed "I'm too old to wear a Halloween costume, Merle. I'll just stay home and hand out candy," he took the wine from Merle's hand and gave it a large gulp.  
"Oh, that's no fun. What about a sexy sailor?" Merle joked, nudging him with his elbow. Dav laughed again "I think you'd make a cute sailor. Or we could go as Seymour and Audrey II," Merle suggested with another little nudge.  
"No, no, no costumes this year," Davenport chuckled, leaning his head on Merle's shoulder "I'm done costumes I think."  
"Oh, alright," Merle stretched and let his arm fall around Dav's shoulders "Want me to run you that bath I promised?" Merle asked. Davenport closed his eyes and cuddled up next to Merle. He mumbled something quietly which Merle took as a no "I'm not strong enough to carry you up to bed anymore," Merle said, shaking Dav lightly.  
"Mm....yeah ok, let's go to bed..." He downed the rest of his wine and leaned on Merle as they walked up the stairs of their small house to go to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is...kind of filler? But I really wanted to write a little davenchurch fluff to satisfy myself. I regret making this a slow burn, I just want to write romance. It's also super short since I started classes last week so I haven't had a lot of time to write. I'll try to post another chapter next week! Again sorry for this kind of selfish filler chapter, I hope you like it anyways.


	6. Raspberry Tart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibling bonding and some plot progression.

"Have a great day, ma'am," Lup handed her customer the cake she had order and smiled at her until she left the building. Lup leaned on the counter and let out a long sigh. Taako came out from the kitchen with a tray of cookies.  
"My shift's over, I have to go to class," He told her, offering a sugar cookie to her. She took it and popped it into her mouth. Taako put the tray on the counter behind her and crossed his arms.  
"...what?" she asked, her mouth still full of cookie.  
"You have a crush on Bluejeans, don't you?" It was less of a question and more of a statement. Lup snorted and covered her mouth to stop crumbs from flying out of her mouth. Taako narrowed his eyes at her "Tell me the truth, Lup."  
Lup shook her head "No, god! He's nice and all but no I just like him as a friend."  
Taako frowned "You let him sleep in your room because you're just friends?"  
"Good lord, me and Barry are not dating! I don't see him like that, he's just my friend," Lup said defensively, her face getting red with embarrassment.  
"Lulu. Hon," Taako put his hands on her shoulders "Please be careful. I can tell you like him. I don't trust him, I'm worried he just wants to take advantage of you."  
"I can handle myself, Taako," Lup assured him "I won't do anything stupid. I thought I was the smart twin?" She grinned at him and he couldn't help but grin back.   
Taako took his hands off her shoulders and shook his head "Fine, okay. Just be careful. I have to go get changed."  
"Yes, go!" Lup said shoving him out the door "You're going to be late if you don't hurry!!"  
"I know, I know, okay, bye!" Taako jogged up the stairs to their apartment. Lup sighed in relief. She didn't have a crush on Barry. He was just nice to her and that made her soft. He was just her friend that's it. She took the sugar cookies off the tray and put them in the window display with the others. She tossed the parchment paper into the trash and went back into the kitchen to see if her pie dough had chilled for long enough.  
A moment later Taako came flying down the stairs "YOU WERE RIGHT I HAVE TO GO," he yelled stumbling out the door "BYE, LULU, HAVE A GOOD DAY!"  
"Bye Taako," She laughed, rolling out the chilled dough.

"A Halloween party?" Barry asked, "Uh, can I bring guests?"  
"Sure," Kravitz replied as he settled into his seat next to Barry's. Barry felt stupid even asking. Kravitz's mom was ridiculously rich, he didn't care how many people showed up.   
"Okay, sounds fun," Barry said nodding. He and Kravitz didn't talk outside of this class very much. There had to be some other reason he'd asked him to go. Did he have a thing for Lup?   
"You're um, you're friends with the Taaco twins yes?" Kravitz asked after clearing his throat. There it was.  
"...Yes." Barry said suspiciously.  
"Ah, wonderful. Could you...could you introduce me to Taako?" Kravitz asked, refusing to make eye contact with Barry. Barry blinked. Oh.  
"O-oh yeah, sure, no problem. I can bring him to the party," Barry agreed "How do you know them?"  
"Taako's in my bio class. He's told me he's only taking it for his science credit and I don't think we'll have any other classes together and I...want the chance to talk to him more," Kravitz opened his notebook and still refused to look at Barry "So, my place on Friday for the party. Bring whoever you like." Barry would have liked to ask more questions but their professor began the powerpoint before he got a chance. Kravitz was already taking notes, not even acknowledging Barry anymore. He decided their conversation was over.

"What?" Taako laughed when Lup read him the text from Barry she had just got "Kravitz?? Hot guy from bio Kravitz??? Wants specifically me at his party?"   
"Apparently," Lup locked the door to the bakery. Taako was sitting on one of the counters looking at her totally baffled. She laughed "And you told me to watch myself! At least I've known Barry for a year!" she hopped up on the counter next to him and plucked a raspberry tart from his hand.   
"Oh, so you admit you like Barry now?" Taako teased, grabbing himself another tart and biting into it.   
"I didn't mean it like that," Lup said defensively, shoving the bite-sized tart in her mouth "Mm! Taako, fuck, you killed it on these tarts."  
"Well, duh," he said his mouth still very full of tart. He slid off the counter and put his hands on his hips "So are we going?"  
"Fuck yeah we're going!" Lup followed him off the counter and up to their apartment "Free alcohol? A new boyfriend for Taako? It sounds perfect."  
"We'll have to throw together some costumes," he pointed out. That put a bit of a damper on things.  
"Shit...well we could always wear clothes we have with one accessory? Like...you could be a witch! Just have to wear witchy clothes and a big hat," She suggested. They both loved Halloween but hadn't celebrated it for years now. The most they did with their aunt was bake those awful Pillsbury doughboy cookies with the pumpkins on them and hand candy out to younger kids. The idea of dressing up was making them both really excited.  
"A witch could work," He agreed. They stepped inside the apartment and started riffling through their closet to find clothes that would work "Oooh, this?" he pulled a long, black cape out of their closet. It was pretty cheap looking and a couple of years old but it would do the job.  
"Very witchy," Lup nodded "Dress or pants?"  
"Pants probably, skirts aren't fun when it's cold. What are you going to be?" Taako asked as he continued to hunt.  
"I'm not sure, something easy like a cat or-"  
"What about a devil?" Taako suggested and pulled out a long red dress that Lup had bought online for surprisingly cheap. She had never had the chance to wear it.  
"I'd only need horns, that's a great idea," Lup grinned, taking the dress from him and holding it in front of herself. It was a pretty simple red dress but it had a long slit up the side and was covered in red sequins. Definitely devil material.  
"Oh my god, should I wear my leather pants?" Taako laughed pulling them from the depths of his closet "No I don't care I'm wearing my leather pants."  
"Ugh they're so ugly," Lup said with a fake gag "Why did you even keep those?"  
"I knew they'd come in handy," he said folding them up and putting them with the poncho "And look at that, I was right!"  
"Those are going right to the pawnshop on November 1st, they're hideous," Lup wrinkled her nose at the sound of them folding.  
"Mean," Taako pouted at her.  
"They're hideous! They're not even real leather! I hate them so much!" Lup yelled in mock anger over the hideous garment. Taako glared at her. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, challenging him to try to fight her on this.  
"...they're a little ugly," Taako agreed finally, his expression returning to the shit-eating grin he had been wearing earlier "But don't pawn them!! They're useful for stuff like this!"  
"Fine, we'll keep your nasty faux leather pants," Lup continued to hunt through their closet for accessories they could wear "We should do our makeup to match."  
"Hell yeah, we should!" Taako agreed "As long as it's not too heavy."  
"Nah, partying in heavy makeup sounds like shit. You said this guy's loaded right?"   
"Yeah, his mom is like a CEO and is suuuper fucking rich. He doesn't brag about it in class, thank god, but I've heard other people talking about it."  
"Little gossip," Lup teased giving him a shove with her foot "But like...does he have a thing for you?"  
"I don't know! I barely know him, I thought he hated me! I thought he hated that I talk so much,"  
"You don't talk that much," Lup frowned at him. Taako raised his eyebrows "You don't!"  
"Well, I was pretty sure he thought I was annoying. Not that I care, really, I'm just confused," Taako started to put the discarded clothes back in their closet. Lup picked up some as well and helped him clean the small pile on the floor "Maybe he just wants to sleep with me."  
"Maybe he likes annoying twinks," Lup snickered. Taako gasped in mock shock and Lup continued "Oooor maybe he likes your personality. Maybe he likes you for you."  
"We were born at the same time, stop acting like my older sister," Taako said with an eye roll, ignoring what she had just said and trying to change the subject immediately "Wanna watch a movie while we make dinner? I say "a movie" like it's not gonna be clueless."  
"You don't have to trick me into watching clueless," Lup laughed, closing the closet door "Wanna make popcorn?"  
"Oh hell yeah, we haven't had movie night in forever!" They hadn't really hung out in forever. Not just the two of them.  
"...I missed you, Taako," Lup said with a sweet smile.  
Taako took a beat, considering teasing her more but couldn't bring himself to do it "I missed you too, Lup,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW 2 CHAPTERS IN A WEEK? I felt guilty about uploading a very subpar chapter so I wrote this one and took a lot more time with it. This is mostly to set up the Taakitz fluff (and smut) that is to come. Hope you liked this chapter!  
Also to be clear I love those Pillsbury doughboy sugar cookies. They slap.


	7. Pumpkin Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang attends Kravitz's Halloween party.

The twins had not realized just how well off Kravitz was. Barry mentioned beforehand that his mom owned a huge company but they'd both assumed he was exaggerating. Pulling up to the house and actually seeing the full thing they realized he was not.  
It was a massive mansion. Three floors, a gigantic immaculate garden and a pool in the backyard.  
"That seems excessive," Taako stepped out of the car with Lup and Barry close behind "Ugh what if he's a huge asshole? Now I regret planning to date him."  
Lup pat him on the back "Free alcohol! Think about the free drinks! Even if he is a dick we're gonna have fun. And besides-" she wrapped her arm around Barry "Bluejeans wouldn't have agreed to introduce you to him if he's a dick!"  
"He seems alright, I don't know him that well," Barry admitted with a nervous laugh "B-but I'm sure it'll be fine!"  
"Very reassuring, Barold, thank you," Taako said with an exasperated laugh. The three of them walked up to the house together. They had arrived a little earlier than planned but it seemed there were already lots of people here. They rang the doorbell and Kravitz came to the door. He was dressed in a long black cloak and holding a prop scythe. The cloak he wore was beautifully detailed, Taako was willing to bet he didn't buy it specifically for Halloween.  
"Nice costume," Barry joked. He was wearing a much less impressive grim reaper costume, just a black hoodie and some basic skeleton makeup Lup had done for him before they left. He felt a little self-conscious next to Kravitz. He really was handsome.   
"Hey there, Krav," Taako smirked at him and crossed his arms "You wanted to see me?"  
Kravitz looked surprised for a second and then grinned "Well I'm glad you want to get right down to business," he joked and held the door open for the three of them.

Lup and Barry left Taako and Kravitz alone and started to explore the house. Lup was looking for drinks and Barry was just following her since he never knew what to do at parties "LUP, BARRY!" a familiar voice called out to them and Magnus Burnsides ran up to them. He was dressed as a werewolf. It suited him very well "Have you guys met my fiancé yet??" He asked excitedly. They both stared at him blankly. He took that as a no "JULES," he called and a tall thick-set woman turned to see him. She smiled, excused herself from her conversation and walked over to him. Magnus was very tall, Barry would guess about 6'3, but his fiance was only about a head shorter than him. She had to be 5'10 at least. Needless to say, he and Lup were deeply intimidated. She was also dressed as a werewolf.  
"This is Julia, my fiancé," Magnus said, putting an arm around her waist "Julia this is Lup and Barry, they're friends of mine!"  
"Nice to meet you two," she said with a warm smile "Are you two together?"  
Both of them flushed bright crimson and stumbled over each other to correct her  
"No, no we're just friends, we're here with my brother too he's just-"  
"Yeah, it's not like that or anything-"  
"Very convincing," Julia laughed "Wanna play beer pong?"

"Can I get you a drink?" Kravitz asked Taako, motioning for him to follow.  
"Nothing makes me feel safer than following a man dressed as the grim reaper into his home," Taako said with a smirk but still followed Kravitz none the less.  
Krav chuckled "What can I get for you?" He asked. Kravitz's smile was warm and inviting. Taako could feel his guard melting with every little thing he did.  
"A Smirnoff ice would be lovely," Taako returned his smile. He couldn't stop himself and wrapped an arm around Kravitz's. Kravitz reached into the cooler and retrieved a Smirnoff ice for Taako. He led him towards a couch in a slightly less populated room, there were just a few people standing around talking and drinking. Kravitz grabbed himself a beer and took a large swig. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Taako broke the silence "Your house is fucking huge, my man," he blurted out awkwardly.  
Kravitz chuckled "Uh, yeah, my mom owns a chain funeral home. We used to move around a lot but since I started college we've been staying here. We'll probably move again when I transfer to an actual mortuary school," he explained.  
"Oh, you're going to mortuary school?" Taako's ear twitched slightly at Krav's bragging but he tried to ignore it.  
"Yeah, mom wanted me to be an embalmer but I plan on studying to be a crematory operator instead. Hopefully, aqua cremation will be legal when I'm studying but right now it isn't. What are you majoring in again?" Kravitz asked, realizing he'd only talked about himself.  
"Culinary arts," Taako said flatly taking a long sip of his drink "I like cooking."  
"Ah. I don't really do a lot of cooking, usually, the maids do that for us." He said casually.  
Taako's ears were now totally flat against his head "Where's your bathroom?" he asked quickly.  
"Oh, uh, I can show you-" Kravitz started but Taako interrupted.  
"No, no just directions please," Taako already regretted this. He hated rich people.  
"Is something wrong?" Kravitz asked as Taako stood to leave.  
"I just...want to find my sister. Here let me," he pulled out his phone out and handed it to Krav "Put your number in it, we can talk later okay?"  
"Y-yeah, okay, sure," Kravitz fumbled typing his number into Taako's phone and handed it back to him "I'll be around all night come find me if you still want to talk!"  
"Yup," Taako was already walking away. He didn't have the energy to deal with stuck up rich boys tonight. Or ever. Hopefully, Kravitz wouldn't call him.

Barry was garbage at beer pong, as expected but luckily he was on a team with Lup. Lup didn't go out drinking and partying a lot but she had a natural skill at beer pong.  
"Haha! Drink up, Burnsides," She grinned at him after sinking the ball into his cup, "I thought jocks were good at beer pong. You scared?"  
"Jesus, Lup," Magnus laughed after chugging the beer "I didn't expect you to be this competitive."  
"There's a lot about me you don't know. Your turn, Julia," she tossed a ball to her. Julia grabbed it and got ready to throw it back. Her ball landed right in a cup "Fuck yeah! Barry's turn to drink," Julia giggled doing an excited little hop.  
Barry grabbed the beer and tried to chug it unsuccessfully "Sorry," he said quickly and tried to chug it again.  
"It's fine, take your time, bud," Magnus assured him. Barry HATED having everyone watch him he wanted this to be over as quickly as possible. Lots of other people had arrived at the party by now and a small crowd of people had gathered around the beer pong table; some just watching and others waiting for their turn to play. He felt everyone stare at his struggle to chug a beer, the weakest drink you could possibly chug. He could feel himself start to sweat and finished the beer off quickly. He slammed the solo cup on the table and Lup gave him the ball.  
"Make it count, Barry," She said with a little wink. Her cheeks were flushed from drinking and she was coming off much more flirty than usual. He tried not to let it get to his head as he lined up and threw the ball.  
The ball bounced off the rim of the cup. Everyone around them let out a disappointed sigh. Barry blushed with embarrassment and looked at the ground. "Hey, it's okay," Lup put a hand on his back and smiled at him "You'll get it eventually Barry."   
Magnus grabbed the ball and tossed it into their last cup. Julia and Magnus cheered in excitement, Magnus wrapping his fiancé into a huge bear hug. Lup grabbed the cup and chugged it quickly before tossing it on the table "I need water, that was more beer than I was expecting to drink," She laughed sliding her hand off of Barry's back in a way that was just too sensual. Barry's flush deepened making Lup frown "Are you sick?" She put her wrist to his forehead to check his temperature.  
"I'm fine, Lup," He laughed taking her hand off of him "Just, uh, go sit down I'll get some water for you. Don't go anywhere."  
"Okay," She giggled and plopped down onto the couch next to two other girls who were already deep in conversation. Barry rushed off to get her water and found Taako in the next room over, looking around. Barry waved at him and Taako ran over.  
"Where's Lup?" He asked worriedly when he saw Barry alone,  
"Oh she's right in there, I'm getting her some water. We played beer pong so she's uh," Barry cleared his throat. This definitely didn't make him look good "H-how was your talk with Kravitz?"  
"Ugh, awful. He's such a pampered brat. Gave him my number though, so maybe if I go on dates with him I can make him buy things for me, might be nice," He sighed and then shuffled past Barry towards the other room "I'm gonna check on Lup and join her in getting as drunk as she is."  
Taako spotted Lup sitting next to a dragonborn and an orc making out on the couch. She didn't seem bothered, just scrolling through her phone. She looked up when Taako approached and smiled "Hey Koko! How's the new boy toy?"  
"Bad," He grumbled plopping onto the floor in front of her "I hoped he wouldn't brag so much about the wealth he was born into but I mean," Taako gestured to the room they were in "He lives here, I doubt he's self-aware."  
"Aww I'm sorry, Taako," Lup slid off the couch to sit with him on the floor "So he's a hard pass?"  
"I'm not sure," Taako said pausing to take a swig of his drink "I mean I don't like him. He's gross but he is rich. So..."  
"...so you're gonna steal from him?" Lup asked, her eyes lighting up again.  
Taako grinned at her and took another long drink of his Smirnoff ice "I got his number so I think I'll ask him on a date and see how much he's willing to buy for me. If it's a lot...maybe I'll keep him around."  
Lup laughed "Fuck yeah! Eat the rich!" she yelled a little too loudly, making a few people glance in their direction.  
"Shh!!" Taako giggled "How drunk are you?"  
"Not even," Lup smiled and looked at the ground "I'm just...happy."  
Taako's devious grin turned into a soft loving one "Hell yeah, Lulu. You deserve it," Seeing his sister genuinely having fun was so refreshing after what she'd been through these last few months- last few years if he was being honest-she really did deserve to feel like this. He paused in thought for a second and then asked: "Is it because of him?" Taako gestured towards the other room.  
"...like...like God?" Lup asked, her ears perking up in confusion.  
"No! Barry, you dingus!"   
"Oh," Lup laughed and shook her head "No! It's nice that he invites me places but I don't know, I'm making my own happiness I guess. I'm making friends. I don't feel like a shut-in at the bakery. It's nice."  
"Yeah," Taako agreed, "It's good to see you happy."  
"Oh, speak of the devil," Lup said as Barry walked up to them, trying to carry several water bottles "Thank you, Bluejeans," She smiled and plucked a drink from his hands when he sat down next to her on the ground.  
"Were you talking about me?" He asked opening his own bottle of water and dumping the rest of the bottles on the floor in front of him.  
"Yep, all bad," Taako teased giving Barry just the most shit-eating grin. The party had started to get a bit wild as more people arrived and the room they were situated in had gotten pretty cramped. They shuffled their way out of the room and into the extravagant backyard. There was a huge bean-shaped pool that was also packed with people despite how cold it was outside and huge beautiful gardens. Lucretia had been standing by the sliding door, clutching a coca-cola in her hands and not speaking to anyone until the three entered into the backyard.  
"Oh thank god," She sighed with relief "Can I tag along with you guys? Johann wouldn't stop following me around playing wonder wall and like sure he's good but there's only so much I can take."  
"Sure," Barry said making both twins give him a look. Lucretia had made a pretty shitty impression on both of them, but they weren't going to say no now.  
"Thank you, I don't know anyone here. I don't even know why Magnus invited me," She laughed "He already had to leave because Julia got too tired."  
"It's only 11," Lup said, cocking her head to the side "She seemed pretty ready to party."  
"Ah...um...she's really sick. I-I shouldn't speak on her behalf but she's...very sick. She can't stay out very late, she gets tired really easily." Lucretia stuttered out taking a sip from her coke to shut herself up.  
"Oh, that's awful," Barry mumbled. They stayed in awkward silence for a few moments before Taako spoke:  
"So...I bet with how rich Kravitz is his pool is heated. I didn't bring my bathing suit but I don't mind swimming in my underwear," Taako gestured to the pool. There was a bit of steam coming off the surface of the water.  
"Fuck yeah! I haven't been swimming in years!" Lup smiled "Barry, can you unzip my dress?"  
"Uh-I- yeah sure I can..." She turned her back to him and moved her hair out of the way of the zipper. Barry's heart thumped as he slowly unzipped her dress. It was already skin tight and left very little to the imagination but seeing her bare back was just so different. He could feel the heat of her skin radiating onto his and he gulped as he unzipped the dress the rest of the way.  
Lup stepped out of her dress and let it fall to the floor. She picked it up, folded it, and shoved it into Barry's hands before slipping out of her shoes and jumping into the pool.   
"You guys getting in?" She laughed, pushing her hair out of her face "It's really warm!"  
"Yeah, why the fuck not," Taako said stripping out of his own clothes and jumping in right next to her to keep her in the splash zone.  
Barry and Lucretia stood next to the pool unsure of what to do. The twins splashed around paying 0 attention to them at all anymore. It was honestly very sweet to see them totally relaxed and free like this.  
"...yeah ok," Lucretia said with a light laugh and slipped her skirt and jacket off. She kept her top on even if it was a bit constricting, she wasn't that comfortable. Lup wolf-whistled at her while Lucretia slipped into the pool with them. She blushed and giggled.  
"Oh my god, you're so cute," Lup laughed giving a playful splash.  
Lucretia shielded her face from the splash "Oh stop it," she giggled and splashed her back.  
Barry stood on the sidelines holding all of their clothes and just watching. He really didn't want to strip especially with all these people around. He already felt extremely self-conscious being at a party with all these people around and even though really no one was paying attention he still felt weird about it. He watched the others swim and talk and just felt so...off. He didn't really belong here. They were all cool and-  
"Barry!" He looked up when he heard Lup call to him "Barry are you gonna get in?" She said with a smile. She leaned over the edge of the pool to call to him and he could see her chest bounce slightly when she waved to him. Jesus. Wet hair and her skin glistening...Jesus Christ. She was so gorgeous "Well?" She pressed crossing her arms and leaning on them over the side.   
"...um...I don't know..." he said looking away from her nervously. Her grin faded and she hopped out of the pool and walked over to him.  
"You doin' okay Bluejeans?" She asked putting a hand on his shoulder. The contact made him jump.  
"I'm just...embarrassed..." he mumbled still refusing to look her in the eye. Lup furrowed her brow.  
"You know...I wasn't comfortable with how I looked for a while but...baby steps, ya know? You don't have to take off your shirt? You could swim in boxers and your shirt?" Lup kept her voice low and tried to get him to look at her "But you don't have to if you don't want to. It's ok."  
"Thanks, Lup," He looked over at her "I uh...I find it hard to believe you ever weren't confident. You're so pretty." Barry flushed fully now not sure why that was coming out of his mouth.   
Lup looked a bit taken aback "Th-thank you. I mean, I know. But thanks anyway," she teased.  
"...Okay yeah. I'll swim." He smiled at her "Sorry I'm- I'm being weird I know. I'm...I'm a little tipsy."   
She laughed "Yeah, yeah, sure. It's okay, I like it when you feed my ego," she took her hand off him and slid back into the pool "Now get in!!"  
Barry pulled off his jeans and his cape and slid into the pool with the rest of them.

Around 3 am most people had either passed out somewhere in the house or gone home. Barry and Lup were sitting at the edge of the pool, both wrapped in towels. Lucretia had gone home about an hour ago and Taako had gone to see if he could schedule a "date" with Kravitz. It was just the two of them, no one else was even outside anymore.  
It was late fall so it was freezing out. The two of them were huddled together surrounded by the beers and coolers they had been drinking while sitting alone. They were both totally drunk and incoherent yelling and laughing at jokes that weren't even very funny. Lup had Barry in a warm bear hug and he had his arm around her. After they finished laughing at an absolutely hilarious joke Lup had told they stopped and just stared at each other for a while.  
"...you really think I'm pretty?" Lup asked finally, pushing a strand of hair out of his face.  
Barry swallowed hard "Yeah. I do," He said, pulling her closer to him.  
She cuddled up closer to him "Well...I think you're pretty too. Or...handsome I guess."  
"Pretty is fine," He chuckled making her laugh in return. Lup put a hand on the back of his neck and shifted again so she was sitting in his lap. He let his hands fall on her hips. She looked into his eyes for a few seconds before starting to lean in. Barry closed his eyes and then shook his head "Lup, no. Lup, stop you're drunk. We're drunk."  
She looked up at him confused "Wha..?"  
"I don't want...I don't want to take advantage of you," He took his hand off her hips "You're drunk, this isn't right."  
Lup looked incredibly upset "What the fuck! I'm not even that drunk!"  
"Lup," Barry said again, firmer this time "I can barely even think straight. You're not thinking straight either. It- it's hard to tell if this is what you want or if you're just too drunk to know."  
Lup was silent for a moment and then nodded, moving to sit a foot or so away from him "You're right. I don't...don't wanna force you."  
"You should go to sleep," Barry said, standing up and grabbing both of their clothes "I'm fuckin' exhausted."   
"Yeah," Lup yawned her body remembering how tired she was all at once "Mm you drove so I guess you're not driving us home tonight, huh?"  
"We can sleep here, Kravitz's got plenty of space," He pulled his jeans on and dropped the towel onto the ground "I'm gonna go find a couch to sleep on."  
"Okaaaay," Lup called pulling her dress back on. She had already started to forget about that awkward encounter and stumbled to find somewhere kind of comfy to sleep or maybe to find her brother. She should really get some sleep. She had work tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, did you miss me?   
I meant to post this chapter Halloween night but I was also drunk and forgot. I probably shouldn't edit drunk sooo maybe for the best. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Trying to set up the whole enemies to lovers thing with taakitz without Kravitz being the real actual grim reaper. There should be some taakitz smut coming up very soon, hope you can stand waiting another month for that!  
Again sorry for the late upload, I will try to do better.

**Author's Note:**

> So let me explain some stuff about this universe: all fantasy creatures are also just real and chilling because making everyone human sounds super boring so whatever. Fantasy races age at about the same rate as humans so this doesn't get confusing and also so that there's urgency for Lup to get her degree. Let's also say Lucretia, Barry, Lup, Taako, Lucas, Magnus or anyone who's a student is around the same age (unless stated otherwise). That should be all I need to clarify.
> 
> OH AND THIS IS MY FIRST TIME POSTING MY WORK SOMEWHERE I AM EXTREMELY OPEN TO CRITIQUES I AM DOING MY BEST THANK YOU.


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